Kalpathy car festival to reach its peak festivity as chariots converge for Rathasangamam today

Devotees pull the decorated chariot carrying the deity through the streets of Kalpathy on the second day of the annual Kalpathy chariot festival in Palakkad on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: K.K. MUSTAFAH

The ongoing Kalpathy car festival will reach its crescendo on Wednesday evening when the chariots of major deities converge in what is popularly known as Rathasangamam.

Although there has not been any religious significance to Rathasangamam, it has become the most sought after spectacle of the festival over the years.

What makes the last day (Wednesday) so special is that all the six chariots of Kalpathy will be on the move. Although the three chariots of Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swamy Temple started moving from Monday, and that of Manthakkara Mahaganapathy Temple from Tuesday, the chariots of Chathapuram Prasanna Mahaganapathy Temple and Old Kalpathy Lakshminarayana Swamy Temple will be rolling only on Wednesday.

Hundreds of people witnessed the slow chariot movements along the villages of Kalpathy on Tuesday. The three chariots of Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swamy Temple carried the deities Siva, Ganapathy and Murugan respectively on their cars, when that of Manthakkara Mahaganapathy Temple carried the temple’s deity on it.

The deities mounting their respective chariots and moving along the villages to visit the devotees living in agraharams is considered propitious for the villages. “It takes place annually. And that is what makes this festival so special,” said K.S. Krishna, president of the New Kalpathy Grama Jana Samooham.

The mounting and dismounting of deities on and off their chariots is done with prayers and mantras. Thousands of people from agraharams as well as from outside join the groups that pull the chariots with the deities mounted on them. “It is considered propitious, and no devotee will miss it,” said Karimpuzha Raman, president of the Kerala Brahmana Sabha.

The mounting of deities or Ratharohanam of Chathapuram and Old Kalpathy temples will take place on Wednesday morning. After visiting the agraharams, the chariots will return to their respective temples on Wednesday night. The festival flag will be lowered on Thursday morning. The finale of Kalpathy car festival will mark the beginning of all other temple festivals of 98 agraharams in Palakkad district. These festivals will be held in six months.